For Korean Fashionistas Only: Behind the Cover of a Popular DPRK Glossy Magazine

2024 Author: Richard Flannagan | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-15 23:55

North Korea - a state with its own principles, rules, procedures and charter. Perhaps this is one of the few countries around which there are still many different opinions, doubts and guesses. And it is not at all surprising that most of humanity outside of it has a genuine interest in learning how people actually live in the DPRK. Especially when it comes to fashion.

It is a country ruled by a dictator, heir to a dynasty, who has ruled with complete control since the armistice that ended the Korean War in 1953. In addition, there is an opinion that most North Koreans are too poor to seriously think about new clothes, much less follow fashion, following various trends and canons. Just look at the huge demonstrations, which are the most common public depictions of local life, invariably showing thousands of citizens dressed in military and traditional Korean clothing, as well as in various uniforms, which is beyond doubt that if you tell someone, you will receive snort and harsh commentary about the hair of Kim Jong-un, the 35-year-old leader of a closed power.

But thanks to Alek Sigley, the founder of Tongil Tours and a graduate student at Kim Il Sung University, curious humanity has finally managed to take a peek behind the scenes of one of the most closed countries in the world and learn about new changes in the DPRK regarding modern clothing and fashion.

Alec writes that not so long ago he had a couple of North Korean glossy fashion magazines that cannot be found in any Pyongyang bookstore intended for foreigners. Also, all these magazines cannot be found in international hotels, but they can easily be purchased at metro stations or in roadside shops, as well as in other places that, fortunately or unfortunately, are not visited by foreign tourists. And this, to some extent, confirms a certain authenticity of the fact that these same magazines are a kind of document telling about everyday life, culture and fashion in North Korea.

Most often in these same magazines we are talking about the incessant development of the consumer economy and people whose income allows you to spend money on gatherings in cafes, purchasing household appliances, buying clothes and keeping pets. In addition, Sigley says that not so long ago he began to notice on the streets of the capital and other cities of the country brighter and more stylish clothes on women, less often on men.

Alec's words reveal another interesting fact related to the fashion magazine, which is compiled by the Clothing Research Center under the Ministry of Food and Fancy Goods, which specializes in the development of school uniforms in the DPRK from elementary to university level. In addition to all this, the Center helps garment factories and tailors with production technology. Their goal is to make Korean women more beautiful while taking responsibility for the cultural development of the country. But what should ordinary citizens do when they are not at work and study? What should be the clothes so that the state does not prohibit wearing them?

After opening the cover, on the front page of the magazine, as usual, there is a quote from Kim Jong Il (whose name is always in bold), written here in revolutionary red and inscribed in a decorative frame: “Clothes should be different, but at the same time correspond to modern sensations and views, correctly embodying the innate characteristics of our (Korean) people. The table of contents above provides clothing for all four seasons, as well as common sense advice on “What to do when your clothes get dirty” and “How to iron a skirt”.

Here's what Alec says about the spring suit collection as he flips through the pages of a fashion magazine: We can see a selection of matching handbags on the left of the second page. The one below, in particular, looks like something from Louis Vuitton or Gucci. Also worth noticing are the pair of high-heeled shoes that are so popular with North Korean women working in offices, hotels, restaurants and shop assistants.

You should also pay attention to the presented range of bright casual shirts for women. But at the same time, in the magazine you will not see any T-shirts, jackets with hoods or zippers, other than sportswear and padded winter jackets in general, so even when things are casual, they are relatively formal. At the same time, I would like to add that North Koreans, like their compatriots in the south, are proud of their appearance, including their clothes. From the streets, you can see that the locals put great effort into clothing, trying to comply with all the formalities. So it turns out that fashion is fashion, and no one canceled the strict framework, embellishing them with a pair of bright colors, sustained in almost the same modest, restrained and maximally monotonous style.

The pictures taken by an American tourist, for which he was later convicted, tell about how.